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Can Obama beat 'class warfare' rap?

Obama is betting that Americans will recognize the reality of economic stratification. |
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Even as he was decrying “class warfare,” Obama was practicing it, contended Crossroads spokesman Jonathan Collegio, pointing to this sentence: “Either we ask the wealthiest Americans to pay their fair share in taxes, or we’re going to have to ask seniors to pay more for Medicare.”

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But Matt Bennett, a former Clinton White House staffer who’s now a senior vice president at the center-left Third Way think tank, said he believes the “class warfare” phrase has lost its power and Republicans’ hammering on it represents desperation and tea-party dog whistling.

“When Clinton wanted to raise taxes on the wealthy — which he did — Republicans used that to generate a middle-class backlash,” he said. “But now, I think that phrase is pretty tired and overused.”

But while the phrase itself has lost its punch, Bennett said, the idea behind it remains potent. The question, he said, is whether Obama can succeed in neutralizing the notion that he’s trying to redistribute wealth.

“They’re in favor of raising taxes on people who can afford it if it’s going to bring down the deficit and support the strongest military in the world and strengthen the economy. But they are not for it for redistributive purposes.”

The effectiveness of the “class war” jab has long been at odds with opinion polls on tax policy.

A Marist poll conducted for McClatchy newspapers in April found that 64 percent of Americans supported increasing taxes on incomes over $250,000 in order to reduce the deficit. No other option — cutting entitlements, reducing military spending or raising the debt — got a majority of public support.

An ABC News/Washington Post poll conducted around the same time found 72 percent supported that idea — 54 percent strongly supported it — while majorities opposed cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and military spending.

When the Democratic pollster Public Policy Polling tested the issue in the swing states of Ohio, Missouri, Montana and Minnesota in April and May, majorities in all four states supported raising taxes on incomes over $150,000 per year in order to reduce the debt — the lowest level of support, in Missouri, was 58 percent. Support for tax hikes on $250,000 was at least 67 percent, and an increase for millionaires was 76 percent at minimum.

Similar polls stretch back years. Liberal groups point to such numbers as proof that Obama will have the public on his side as he presses his case. In their recounting, only political timidity and coziness with lobbyists prevent Democrats from seizing this popular platform.

Americans Support Higher Taxes. Really.29 Jun 2011 .Posted by Bruce Bartlett ?Contrary to Republican dogma, polls show that the American people strongly support higher taxes to reduce the deficit and improve income inequality. Following are 19 different polls since the first of the year that say so.

A June 9 Washington Post/ABC News poll found that 61 percent of people believe higher taxes will be necessary to reduce the deficit.

A June 7 Pew poll found strong support for tax increases to reduce the deficit; 67 percent of people favor raising the wage cap for Social Security taxes, 66 percent raising income tax rates on those making more than $250,000, and 62 percent favor limiting tax deductions for large corporations. A plurality of people would also limit the mortgage interest deduction.

A May 26 Lake Research poll of Colorado voters found that they support higher taxes on the rich to shore-up Social Security’s finances by a 44 percent to 25 percent margin.

A May 13 Bloomberg poll found that only one third of people believe it is possible to substantially reduce the budget deficit without higher taxes; two thirds do not.

A May 12 Ipsos/Reuters poll found that three-fifths of people would support higher taxes to reduce the deficit.

A May 4 Quinnipiac poll found that people favor raising taxes on those making more than $250,000 to reduce the deficit by a 69 percent to 28 percent margin.

An April 29 Gallup poll found that only 20 percent of people believe the budget deficit should be reduced only by cutting spending; 76 percent say that higher taxes must play a role.

An April 25 USC/Los Angeles Times poll of Californians found that by about a 2-to-1 margin voters favor raising taxes to deal with the state’s budget problems over cutting spending alone.

An April 22 New York Times/CBS News poll found that 72 percent of people favor raising taxes on the rich to reduce the deficit. It also found that 66 percent of people believe tax increases will be necessary to reduce the deficit versus 19 percent who believe spending cuts alone are sufficient.

An April 20 Washington Post/ABC News poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin people favor a combination of higher taxes and spending cuts over spending cuts alone to reduce the deficit. It also found that 72 percent of people favor raising taxes on the rich to reduce the deficit and it is far and away the most popular deficit reduction measure.

An April 20 Public Religion Research Institute poll found that by a 2-to-1 margin, people believe that the wealthy should pay more taxes than the poor or middle class. Also, 62 percent of people believe that growing inequality of wealth is a serious problem.

An April 18 McClatchy-Marist poll found that voters support higher taxes on the rich to reduce the deficit by a 2-to-1 margin, including 45 percent of self-identified Tea Party members.

An April 18 Gallup poll found that 67 percent of people do not believe that corporations pay their fair share of taxes, and 59 percent believe that the rich do not pay their fair share.

On April 1, Tulchin Research released a poll showing that voters in California overwhelmingly support higher taxes on the rich to deal with the state’s budgetary problems.

A March 15 ABC News/Washington Post poll found that only 31 percent of voters support the Republican policy of only cutting spending to reduce the deficit; 64 percent believe higher taxes will also be necessary.

A March 2 NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 81 percent of people would support a surtax on millionaires to help reduce the budget deficit, and 68 percent would support eliminating the Bush tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000.

A February 15 CBS News poll found that only 49 percent of people believe that reducing the deficit will require cuts in programs that benefit them; 41 percent do not. Also, only 37 percent of people believe that reducing the deficit will require higher taxes on them; 59 percent do not.

A January 20 CBS News/New York Times poll found that close to two-thirds of people would rather raise taxes than cut benefits for Social Security or Medicare in order to stabilize their finances. The poll also found that if taxes must be raised, 33 percent would favor a national sales tax, 32 percent would support restricting the mortgage interest deduction, 12 percent would raise the gasoline taxes, and 10 percent would tax health care benefits.

On January 3, a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll found that 61 percent of people would rather raise taxes on the rich to balance the budget than cut defense, Social Security or Medicare.

The answer is no. This is ingrained into Democrats just as reckless spending is. It is part of their DNA. Giving this government more money is just like giving the keys to the car to a drunk and expecting them to get you to a location safe and secure. Their programs they rely on to justify their reckless spending are not unlike the herion dealer who pedals his product all in order to get you hooked.

Are American Voters "Slow?" Are US Voters just ill-educated, low-information folks who never read US History?

We already did a massive "Re-Distribution of Wealth" from lower wage earners (57% = min.wage folks) To Top Tier 1% and that was a Class-warfare of Rich making Poor Pay For Everything (Roads, Bridges, Tunnels)

No human with a smidgen of common sense thinks that an "Equal Tax Payment" or "Shared Sacrifice" is Class War ...

Ask Steve Jobs, Apple Computer's Money-man, he says, Low Taxes never created a job = Innovation of New Products & Demand for either old or new products Create Jobs! His company, now showing the best profits, has always built Environmental Issues Into His Business Plan like Clean Water, Clean Air, Worker Safety, Toxic Chemicals in products.

All you people thinking that taxing the wealthy more is "fair"...PLEASE explain to me how this is "fair":

I got my property tax bill in the mail the other day on the house I've lived in for over 20 years. It listed what my tax dollars were going for...78% of which was to the school system. Our school system, I would say very conservatively has no less than a 20% makeup of "undocumented immigrants"...in other words...illegal aliens.

Here's the deal, we never had children, we chose not to have children. WHY IS IT FAIR THAT I PAY FOR EVERYONE'S KIDS WHEN I NEVER HAD ANY OF MY OWN....please, liberals...explain that to this hard-working American woman.

Can Obama beat the "classwarfare rap?" Is Karl Marx a socialist? Does a cat have a climbing gear? Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the woods? When you are as socialist as Obama is pronouncing he is, then you have to wear the ideology. No he can't beat the rap. He is the rap and his election in 2012 is scheduled to end his ideological political career. Obama needs to call home. Putin needs him to sustain the old Russian doctrine. There are job opening in Moscow that would be far more beneficial to Obama.

Can Obama beat the "classwarfare rap?" Is Karl Marx a socialist? Does a cat have a climbing gear? Does a tree make a sound when it falls in the woods? When you are as socialist as Obama is pronouncing he is, then you have to wear the ideology. No he can't beat the rap. He is the rap and his election in 2012 is scheduled to end his ideological political career. Obama needs to call home. Putin needs him to sustain the old Russian doctrine. There are job opening in Moscow that would be far more beneficial to Obama.

I just don't know how Obama can expect to survive doing that socialist thing he does so well. Now that we are in the election crazy period, Obama has certainly identified himself more clearly as a ideolog socialist, an evident trend for along time. Now he is willing to stand before the American people and declare himself as a true Marxist and anti captialist. Doesn't sit well for a country that is founded on free thinking; inovative self determination and investment risk society. So, Obama keep doing that socialist thing you do so well. Everyday, another nail is placed in your political career coffin and the prospect of absolute rejection of the American voter will be assured because you are not unifying this country. Class warfare is a bad play even for Karl Marx ideology and it will defeat you in the end.

The problem with polls is 84.8% of those polled have no education relative to the questions subject.

Emotional, but uninformed opinion always leads to policy failure.

Ignoring history is a trademark of socialiism. Complimented with a partisan press, our demise as a free society is inevitable.

"I wouldn't call it fascism exactly. but a political system nominally controlled by an irresponsible, dumbed down electorate who are manipulated by dishonest, cynical, controlled mass media that dispense the propaganda of a corrupt political establishment can hardly be described as democracy either." -- Edward Zehr (1936-2001) Columnist

There are laws to protect the freedom of the press's speech, but none that are worth anything to protect the people from the press. - Mark Twain

Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery. - Winston Churchill

c'mon what's there to beat? some 80% of americans have shown they agree with the president on a balanced approach to solving the debt & deficits problem, more than 50%, some polls have it above 60% agree the wealthy & corporations should pay more- even among republicans there is significant support for raising revenue. this summer there were at least 19 polls favoring the presidents position...

Obama and his union supporters are collectivists and therefore believe in class warfare, not individual achievement as a way out of personal problems.

This is why the central battle is being played out in Wisconsin, where Scott Walker ended collective bargaining as a means to get public employees to pay for part of their own health care and retirement... and accept as a principle that promotion should be based on merit not union seniority.

This is also why Obama saved GM & Chrysler -- not to save the auto industry, but to save the UAW contracts... which is a major source of Democrat money.

Democrat collectivists are, in their soul, Luddites. They believe that what they have gotten used to, comfortable with, is what they are entitle to until the end of time. They must be cast aside.